Springfield, IL… Legislation sponsored by State Representative Joe Sosnowski (R-Rockford/Belvidere) aimed at increasing thesafety of those who rely on in-home health care cleared the Illinois House last week amidst a flurry of activity just prior to the legislative spring break.

“There are over 1,200 individuals with active warrants that are being hired by those who need care and are being paid by the state of Illinois,” Rep. Sosnowski said. “This will provide greater safety for those who need care or assistance in their home.”

The measure, House Bill 4541, will require backgroundschecks for any person who applies for employment as a personal care attendant or personal assistant through the Department of Human Services’ Home Services Program. If the applicant has been convicted of a felony, has been arrested for a criminal offense or has an outstanding arrest warrant, they will be ineligible to serve as a home careassistant.

The legislation was prompted by the shocking discovery that approximately 1,200 of the 10,000 caretakers in the DHS program have activewarrants out for their arrest. These individuals are given full access to the homes of those in their care, and thus the discovery that so many have a criminal background was cause for immediate legislative action.

Currently, those individuals who need care are not provided with any information on the personal assistants assigned to them, and the applicants are not scanned or checked for a previous criminal history.

House Bill 4541 passed the House 80-31 and is now off to the Senate for consideration.

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Springfield, IL… State Representative Joe Sosnowski (R-Rockford/Belvidere) co-sponsored House Bill 5641 to tighten Medicaid verification requirements and begin the first measure of Medicaid reform inIllinois.

“This is an important step in Medicaid reform that will require the Department to use a computerized system to actually screen applicants to verify eligibility based on income and residency,” Rep. Sosnowski said. “Currently, there is no serious screening process that allows people who do not even live in Illinois to receive Medicaid.”

House Bill 5641 amends the Medical Assistance Article of the Illinois Public Aid Code to require the Department of Healthcare and FamilyServices to establish uniform procedures to identify, investigate and resolve potential cases of Medicaid fraud.

The department will also have to establish a computerized system to match Social Security numbers with unearned income, Employer Quarterly reports of income and unemployment insurance payment information, immigration status, prisoner information, child care services and much more.

“Medicaid bills have skyrocketed as the system has become the largest health insurer in Illinois,” Rep. Sosnowski said. “We must continue to root out the fraud occurring in the system so our resources go to those who truly need and are qualified to receive assistance.”

The bill unanimously passed the House and is now sent to the Senate for consideration.

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Springfield, IL… “Today, we took a solid step in the right direction today by moving forward with the intention of crafting a budget that will cut overall spending and pay off $1.5 billion in old bills,” Sosnowski stated. “The difficult decisions that lie ahead will be felt by all; but the alternative in doing nothing would only exacerbate our problems. With today’s resolution and its goals in mind, we must now move on towards reforming pensions and creating and retaining jobs.”

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Springfield, IL… State Representative Joe Sosnowski (R-Rockford/Belvidere) was co-sponsor to House Bill 3825 which passed the House unanimously this week to tighten regulations and penalties regarding recyclable metal purchases.

The bill created the “Theft of recyclable metal” offense which includes more severe penalties for theft of certain recyclable metal property and includes the resulting property damage in the calculation of the penalty.

“We must make changes to stop criminals from stealing recycled metals,” Rep. Sosnowski said. “It is important to reduce theft of recyclable metals and by requiring documentation at the time of sale.”

The bill is in response to an increasing number of thefts throughout the State as the price of copper and other recyclable metals hasrisen. This legislation will now make it more difficult to sell stolen metal by strengthening record-keeping requirements and create tougher criminal penalties to deter thefts.

“Our employees are taught and trained to recognize stolen metals,” Dick Behr, owner of Behr Iron and Metal in Rockford, said.

According to Behr, his ten nationwide scrapyards have been documenting every purchase long before the law came into effect.

“If materials look suspicious, we call the police at the time or hold it until we can identify it,” Behr said.

The bill is now sent to the Senate for consideration.

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Springfield, IL… A Special Investigating Committee was called to order today at the Illinois State Capitol to investigate the bribery charges brought against State Representative Derrick Smith (D-Chicago) earlier this month.

Five House Republican members signed a petition last week calling for a Special Investigative Committee to review the allegations against Rep. Smith, which allege he accepted a $7,000 cash bribe to write an official letter of support for a daycare center seeking a state grant.

House rules require both the House Speaker and minority leader to appoint three members of their caucus to the committee. The Special Investigating Committee will decide on what, if any, disciplinary action should be recommended against Rep. Smith. A similar committee was formed after thearrest of former Governor Rod Blagojevich.

“I am in full support of this committee and am hoping for an expedient process in determining whether Rep. Smith’s actions will require disciplinary action,” Rep. Sosnowski said. “I am confident all members of the committee will use their best judgment and expertise in coming to a fair and just conclusion.”

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Springfield, IL… State Representative Joe Sosnowski (R-Rockford/Belvidere), a co-sponsor of House Bill 4523 which seeks to ease new restrictions on the purchase of common caustic substances such as Drano, was pleased last week when the legislation advanced through the Illinois House.

“Sometimes legislation that sounds like a good idea turns out to be a bit too onerous, as is the case here,” Sosnowski stated. “Buying standard household products should not be reason to treat consumers with suspicion and alarm.”

The bill adds exceptions to the state’s new laws regulating the purchase of particular caustic substances that were beginning to be used in the assault of individuals. In particular “household products” such as Drano and other cleaning supplies were being interpreted as being a part of this law, and this legislation provided clarification to the law’s specifics.

“There’s a fine line between protecting people, and unduly burdening them; here we’re just trying to walk that line,” he added.

Currently, consumers must register in a database regarding each purchase of household cleaning supplies that fall under the “caustic substances” list. House Bill 4523 unanimously passed the House chamber and is now sent to the Senate for consideration.

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Springfield, IL… State Representative Joe Sosnowski (R-Rockford/Belvidere) saw two pieces of his legislation pass the House floor on Friday.

House Bill 5505 changes the penalty for leaving a child in the care of a sexual predator from a Class A misdemeanor to a Class 4 felony.

“The safety of the children in my district, and in all of Illinois, is a top priority for me,” Rep. Sosnowski said. “Children need to be protected from parents who would put their children in harm’s way.”

Additionally, House Bill 5814 passed the House today which will allow for small municipalities that do not have zone ordinances to be able to have setbacks for wind turbines.

“Communities that don’t have zoning ordinances should be allowed to have some regulations on where wind towers can be located,” Rep. Sosnowski said. “It is important for local communities to have that control.”

Both bills are now sent to the Senate for consideration.

Click to hear Rep. Sosnowski discuss HB5505......

Click to hear Rep. Sosnowski discuss HB5814......

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Springfield, IL… State Representative Joe Sosnowski (R-Rockford/Belvidere) has been appointed to the National Conference of State Legislatures’ Labor and Economic Development Standing Committee. 

“I am looking forward to working with leaders from around the country on economic development to bring new ideas to Illinois,” Rep. Sosnowski said. “Through this committee, we can jumpstart our economy and improve the state’s business climate.”

This committee covers areas of state and federal issues regarding labor, employment, workforce and economic development, international trade and cultural affairs. The committee’s recommendations are reported to Congress and federal agencies about state concerns related to federal actions that impact states. 

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Yesterday, I sent this letter to Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel denouncing his proposal to create a statewide handgun registry.

February 23, 2012

Dear Mayor Emanuel,

I am writing to you to express strong opposition of the statewide handgun registry you proposed two weeks ago.

This proposal is unnecessary and contains outrageous demands for innocent gun owners in the suburban and downstate communities of Illinois. Gun owners are already required to register for a Firearm Owner’s Identification card. Adding on a $65 fee and releasing personal information infringes on the 2nd Amendment rights of law-abiding citizens. This proposal severely limits our personal rights and freedom.

As a state legislator and also as a resident of Illinois, I am extremely concerned about public safety and will continue to fight for measures that will protect the constituents of my district. I do not see how this new statewide handgun registry will do anything along the lines of preventing crime. It will only offer additional information, such as where the gun was purchased and by whom, for police and crime officials when a gun is used during an offense. The registry will not prevent these crimes from occurring.

I urge you to re-consider your support for this measure.

Sincerely,

Joe Sosnowski
State Representative
69th District

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“I was extremely let down by the Governor’s budget address today. Medicaid and pension reforms are at the top of the list to begin fixing the state’s financial crisis yet there is no indication of how the Governor plans to do so without penalizing the taxpayers. He also did not outline any intention of reducing spending which needs to be done just as our local counties and cities have done over the last several years. He implied today that downstate and suburban school districts are not paying the cost for teachers’ retirement benefits but shifting the pension cost to local school districts will lead to hefty property tax increases and does not fix the structural problems that are inherent in our current pension system. Medicaid reforms were passed last year which have yet to be implemented by the Quinn administration. These reforms would have already begun saving the state hundreds of millions of dollars.”

Click to hear comments from Rep. Sosnowski on the budget address...

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Click here to view a PDF of the application, download and print it out!

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Rockford, IL… State Representative Joe Sosnowski (R-Rockford/Belvidere) has hopeful expectations for Governor Quinn’s Budget Address scheduled for Wednesday.

“I am hoping that the Governor will take this opportunity to offer solutions to many of the issues that Illinois faces. He has a great opportunity to take leadership on several issues including effective pension reform measures, Medicaid reform and also address general state spending in order to reduce costs and increase efficiency in state government. He can talk about a lot of stuff, but we need proper pensions, managed Medicaid and smart spending programs,” Rep. Sosnowski said. “Specifically, I expect the Governor of our state to offer some concrete examples of how we can reform our pension program and not just pass the costs on to the local property tax bills. The Governor also needs to secure a federal waiver to implement the bipartisan reforms we passed last year which he has already signed.”

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Rockford, IL… The Illinois General Assembly 2011 Legislative Voter Card ranked State Representative Joe Sosnowski (R-Rockford/Belvidere) with 100% for voting pro-liberty on important key legislation during the calendar year. 

“I am happy to see that my views on crucial and important legislation are shared with the Illinois Policy Institute,” Rep. Sosnowski said. “I will continue to use these same views during this year’s legislative session.”

Voting pro-liberty means voting on bills with topics like budget/taxes, government regulation and education which ultimately will have an identifiable impact on job creation and liberty. 

Bills that were reviewed for this report include the highly controversial state income tax bill, the charter school equality act bill and many more. Each representative is ranked on how they voted on each bill. 

Sosnowski was one of 26 state representatives to receive 100% on this year’s report. 

The full 2011 Legislative Voter Card can be found by visiting http://illinoispolicy.org.

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Belvidere, IL… State Rep. Joe Sosnowski (R-Belvidere/Rockford) attended a special event at Chrysler’s Belvidere Assembly Plant yesterday for the announcement of production of the new fuel-efficient Dodge Dart.

“It is an exciting time to see Chrysler keeps its presence in our region and continue to grow its line of new products.  I am very pleased to see the Dodge Dart begin production here in Belvidere and the additional jobs that will be created.  We’re looking forward to continuing a great relationship with the Chrysler company for many years to come.”

See the full gallery on Posterous

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Belvidere, IL… State Representative Joe Sosnowski (R-Rockford/Belvidere) invites constituents and members of the media to participate in a post-discussion of Governor Quinn’s State of the State Address tomorrow at 1 p.m.

To join the chat, please visit http://www.facebook.com/joesosnowski and click on ‘Wall’.

Rep. Sosnowski will be posting his thoughts on the address immediately following and welcomes feedback from the public and media.

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I was the guest reader at Cherry Valley Public Library's Winter Festival today.  Had a great time reading Ten in the Sled, Snowmen at Night, and Snow Friends to the kids!  Special thanks to Stacey Chester and the rest of the library staff for their help.

See the full gallery on Posterous

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Belvidere, IL… State Representative Joe Sosnowski (R-Belvidere/Rockford) has announced the opening of the application process for the Illinois General Assembly Scholarship program to eligible students in the 69th Legislative District.

This program allows members to offer scholarship opportunities to residents of the district who plan on attending any in-state public university of their choice for the upcoming academic year. Sosnowski will be awarding 16 one-semester scholarships.

“I have always taken a unique approach in the scholarship process by using an independent panel to select recipients based on academic achievement, community involvement and financial need,” Rep. Sosnowski said. “It is important to me that I am able to help not only the hard-working students of my district but also those who may need some financial assistance.”

In order to apply, students must meet the following requirements:
• Live within the 69th Legislative District
• Be accepted at the State university of one’s choice as a full time student
• Demonstrate a commitment to community service
• Demonstrate a need for financial assistance
• Submit a fully completed application including essays and recommendations
• Fully complete the Consent to Publish form

“I encourage all students to apply for these scholarships, whether they feel they meet the requirements or not,” Sosnowski said.

Applications are available online by clicking here. Please call the district office with any questions at (815) 547-3436. The deadline for applications is April 30, 2012 and recipients will be announced by June 1, 2012.

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Belvidere, IL… State Representative Joe Sosnowski (R-Belvidere/Rockford) helped secure $37,500 in state capital funds to award the City of Belvidere for crucial community services.

“The awarding of this grant will allow the City to replace a 28-year-old street sweeper/vacuum truck with an updated, late-model unit that will provide a more efficient and economical means to keep our streets and storm sewers clean,” Belvidere Mayor Fred Brereton said.

The grant is part of legislative member initiative funds that are requested specifically by both Senate and House members for their legislative districts.

“The Mayor and Council have done an excellent job working through their budget in tough economic times,” Sosnowski said. “I’m pleased that Belvidere was able to utilize this funding in order to help with their capital needs in their street department.”

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This past session, I was able to introduce and pass House Bill 2265, which allowed Immanuel Lutheran to use a converted school bus to transport students to school-related functions.  Yesterday morning at their weekly chapel, the school recognized me for helping pass this legislation and presented me with a special award!  Thank you to Michael Buhl and the administration for all their assistance.

See the full gallery on Posterous

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